One of the Family
by Meowser Clancy
Summary: She was one of the family now, and he couldn't be happier. An extended talk between Rossi and Joy. My second Post-Ep for 11x07: Target Rich. SPOILERS for the episode.


Tag to Season 11, Episode 7: Target Rich.

This is my second tag to Target Rich. The other is titled 'Not Again' and focuses on Morgan and Garcia.

* * *

"Joy Rossi."

David Rossi heard the words and couldn't believe them. He looked at his daughter, his precious and only recently discovered child, and felt his heart overflow.

 _Joy. Rossi._

 _Rossi._

"Joy Rossi?" He asked, his voice almost breaking.

The look on her face was priceless; nervous and excited. "I didn't get to to use the name Rossi growing up, so I thought I'd try a new byline. What do you think?"

"I think I need to get a subscription to _Esquire_ ," he said, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her lovely head. "Come on, babe. Let's go out to eat or something. We need to spend some more time together before you go back."

"Definitely," Joy said, her arm tight around him as they left his office. "I...thanks, Dad. Just for everything." Her voice broke. "You listened to me."

"And I want to listen to you more, my love," Rossi said. "We can get take-out and go back to my manor and we'll talk about this, everything, really talk."

Joy nodded. They passed Hotch's office and his door was open.

"We're about to take off, Aaron," Rossi said, poking his head in.

Hotch nodded, pushed his chair and walked over. He took Joy's hand in his. "It was a pleasure to see you again, Joy." He smiled. "Your name does you justice."

"Thanks for the help," she returned. "It...means so much to me."

"We take care of our family," Hotch said warmly. "You're one of us now."

"I'm glad to be," Joy said, leaning into Rossi's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Can you wait outside, Joy? Just for a second?"

"Sure, dad," she said and slipped out.

Rossi met Hotch's eyes. "She changed her byline to Joy Rossi."

As Rossi knew he would be, Hotch was instantly happy. "That's amazing."

"It feels so good," Rossi said. "To be a father...to have that. Know how lucky you are to have those young years with Jack."

"I do know," Hotch assured him.

"And...thank you for diving into this investigation with me, ah, for me," Rossi said.

"Like I told Joy...she's one of the family now," Hotch stated simply. "There was just no way I wouldn't have this team help her as much as possible."

"I appreciate that," Rossi said. "And now we're going to go talk and eat. I think we both need it."

"Be good," Hotch smiled and Rossi left the office of one of his closest friends to see Joy standing there, a smile on her face.

"Ready to go?" He asked, offering her his arm.

"As long as you are, dad," she returned.

* * *

Later, after getting food and after eating most of said food, they sat together in Rossi's family room.

He'd never had one of those before. He called it the lounge and then Joy had come into his life.

It was a family room now.

"You want to talk about it more now, Joy?" He asked, and she sighed.

"It scares me," she said. "Remembering it. I feel like I'm going back there."

"I know," he assured her. "Sometimes...remembering the war, and tough cases here...it hurts to go back. Don't push yourself. I'll always be here to talk to you. It's not just right now."

"Um, I want to talk a bit now," Joy said. "To get just a few more things off of my chest."

"Okay," Rossi said. "Go ahead."

She stared into the fireplace in front of her; it was electrical but turned on and gave a lovely illusion of a real fire.

"I couldn't believe it was happening," she whispered. "I spent that whole week in a living hell of my own making because I was so afraid of telling. Of getting the word out that I was one of the stupid ones."

He hated hearing her call herself stupid but he'd promised not to lecture.

"So...it happened again." Joy shrugged her shoulders, looking uncomfortable. "You...you don't know how cathartic it is just to let someone else know."

"I'm glad to help you carry this," Rossi breathed. "It's okay."

"I just...I don't know what I want to talk about right now, cause on one hand, this scares me, and on another...you made me realize how heavily it's been weighing on me since it happened and how it's grown steadily heavier the more I didn't tell."

"I know, darling, I do know," Rossi said. "The weight of secrets can sometimes overwhelm even James Bond, I bet."

She almost laughed; it was a choked sound.

"Then let's just talk," Rossi continued. "About whatever you want."

"Um..." She trailed off. There was a comfortable silence only broken by Joy reaching for a tissue to blow her nose.

"I was eighteen when I first donated blood," she said. "I wanted to be a good citizen and I was thinking about other things you could do when you turned eighteen and there weren't any good R-rated movies out around my birthday."

He laughed.

"Anyway, I went alone, after school," Joy said. "I was going to get a friend to go with me but it didn't work out so I went alone."

"Do I sense storm clouds ahead?" He asked jokingly and she smiled.

"I got to the place, like, Heartland or something," Joy said. "And I answered questions and they tested my hemoglobin and finally, I actually donated it. And afterwards, I was waiting around to see if I'd be okay..."

"Were you?" He asked.

"No, I got dizzy and almost fainted," she said. "They called my mom and she sent my stepdad over to pick me up. Good times. Anyway. I remember that I felt incredible relief to see him walking through the door. Just the hugest sense of being lost and finally I was found. We went home and got ice cream." She shrugged. "You...you made me feel like that again. You rescued me today, pulling me from this dark abyss...that I didn't even know...how far I was down. So...thanks, dad."

"You rescued me, too," he said. "Last year, and even now...Joy Rossi." He smiled. "It sounds damned good, darling."

"I thought so too."

* * *

A/N: My second one shot for Target Rich.

I also want to say, though I imagine how incredibly hard it must be to step up, if you are ever attacked or raped or anything, _please_ report it. No matter who it was that did it to you. Report it so that the cycle can stop.

And it wasn't your fault. Just remember that.

This was my first time really writing Rossi. And may I just say, I adore Joy for all of the, well, joy that she brings into Rossi's life. The scene where she said Joy Rossi...broke my heart. Just the look on Rossi's face. Beautiful.


End file.
